Gambling

In his first speech since announcing his candidacy for Texas Land Commissioner, George P. Bush played it safe, touting Texas exceptionalism and support for military veterans, among other topics.

Reporter Roundtable

Emily Ramshaw from the Texas Tribune, Scott Braddock of the Quorum Report, and Colin Pope from the Austin Business Journal sat down to discuss this week’s events in politics, including Gov. Rick Perry’s discussion with the Shark Tank about his intentions to run for governor.

Federal Funds

Democratic Rep. Elliott Naishtat sat down with Paul Brown to give an update on the possibility of Medicaid expansion in Texas. Naishtat also discussed a bill to extend health benefits to domestic partners at state university.

According to a poll released by pro-gambling group Let Texans Decide, voters in the state are overwhelmingly in support of a referendum on legalized gambling.

The poll was conducted by Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research, a firm based out of Washington, DC. It shows 82 percent of respondents would like to see a decision on gambling left to voters in the form of a state constitutional amendment. Of that 82 percent, the poll shows 78 percent are Republican primary voters.

According to the group’s website, Let Texans Decide is “focused on urging the state legislature to provide our citizens with an opportunity to vote on a sensible casino-style gaming plan for Texas.”

The group argues that billions of dollars in potential revenue are lost each year to nearby states that do allow gambling.

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